Jean-Marc Ayrault

On 29 October 2013, Jean-Marc Ayrault announced suspension of the heavy goods vehicle ecotax following particularly intense opposition in Brittany and clashes associated with the Red Caps movement. The Court of Auditors later described abandonment of the tax as 'waste', given the costs incurred and compensation payments.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Jean-Marc Ayrault's government had to revise implementation of the exceptional 75 % levy promised by François Hollande on very high incomes several times. Legal, fiscal and constitutional design difficulties transformed a central campaign promise into a politically costly issue.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

During the parliamentary inquiry into the Jérôme Cahuzac affair, the majority refused to allow Jean-Marc Ayrault to be questioned. The refusal caused an open crisis within the committee and the departure of several opposition members, who considered it necessary to question the Prime Minister about the government's handling of the affair.

State of the evidence

Documented

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

The deportation of the Dibrani family to Kosovo, after Leonarda was apprehended during a school trip, caused a major political crisis. Jean-Marc Ayrault announced that if an administrative error was found, the measure would be annulled and the family could return, while the affair exposed strong tensions with Manuel Valls and within the governing majority.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Delphine Batho alleged that a document classified journalists by their supposed position on the Notre-Dame-des-Landes project. The Prime Minister's office responded that Jean-Marc Ayrault had no knowledge of such 'profiling'.

Jean-Marc Ayrault was one of the leading advocates of the Notre-Dame-des-Landes airport project, to the extent that opponents sometimes nicknamed it 'Ayraultport'. The issue caused lasting divisions with environmentalists and strong local mobilisation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Under Ayrault's government, the state launched a major operation in autumn 2012 to clear and demolish squats in the proposed Notre-Dame-des-Landes airport zone. More than 500 gendarmes were deployed, and clashes accompanied the removal of some occupations.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

The Nantes Administrative Court annulled annual instructions governing municipal employee assessments issued under Jean-Marc Ayrault over several years from 1990. The decision could affect appraisals and career progression for numerous employees.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

The Nantes Criminal Court sentenced Jean-Marc Ayrault, then mayor of Nantes, to six months' imprisonment, suspended, and a 30 000-franc fine for granting an unjustified advantage in awarding a contract associated with the municipal newspaper without competitive tender.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Political responsibility